\xcnt \kllllc’ tor a xccond and Ill} lch \xcnt a hit \Itohhl}. 'lhcrc hax hccn \ttlllL' hlood in thc paxt. \Vc onl} uxc plaxtic xuordx tor tltc tightx hut thc} xtill hurt uhcn )ou gct uhackcd \\ ith onc.
Julian Barratt: 'l'hcic'x tonx ot' xlull that gocx wrong. I max runtnng around thc corridorx Ill thc '.\lutantx' cptxodc and got lll_\ lingcr caught lit a hit ol h} and it got rippcd ottt ol itx xockct. .luxt thc othct‘ ltlgltl ttlt xtagc. .\likc [\Ltlltm] xlttttxllctl htx toc to picccx on lltc cot'ttcl' ill a hig chait'. .\x xoon ax }ou gct oll xtagc. _\ou panic likc a x\\.’tll on lch and _\ou'rc hurtling around hackxtagc. I'm a hig panickcr. ot'tcn xtnacktng thc tnakc-up lad_\ in thc lacc \xith in) clhoux. lt‘x quitc a \ iolcnt huxincxx.
For your stage show, you’ve brought along two of your buddies from the TV series: Bollo, the big hairy gorilla, and a shaman called Naboo. What’s the story with them, then?
NF: Hollo ix pla}cd h} l)a\c Bt'outt. llc docx graphic dcxign hut uxcd to he a dccp-xca di\cr in
.-\uxlt'alia a man ol- action. llc alxo docx a hit ol'
hrcakdancing and hccauxc hc'x \xcaring a tttaxk. pcoplc ol'tcn axk it it‘x tnc. .v\nd l xa}. ‘Ycah. cout'xc it ix‘. l takc thc crcdit hit all thc nio\cx. \ahoo |.\lichacl l‘icldittgl ix an iconic ligurc. llc h} pnotixcx pcoplc xuhlitninall} to hit} incrchandixc hut kccpx all thc caxh. xo hc dri\cx arottnd iii a \ihitc liino \xhilc “circ on thix rickct} tour httx.
You’re well into the tour now. Anything weird happened?
JB: lt‘x all going a hit tncntal. lotx ol xcrcatning and xhouting. pcoplc running al‘tct‘ ttx. I look at it l'roni a dixtancc and lind it quitc atnuxing and ohxiouxl} nioxt ol' thcin arc running al‘tcr .\'ocl. .-\ lot ol tncn \\ ith pipcx arc running al‘tcr ntc. old xailorx. But thc_\‘rc quitc cax) to gct aua} lront. ll‘x \xcird that \xc'rc pla} ing thcxc higgcr \cnucx no\\ and thc xtall~ thct‘c ha\c no idca \\ ho \\ c arc. It’s been a while since you played live. So, why now? Why here?
JB: \Vc thought touring might haw hccn a rctrogradc xtcp httt \\ hcn pcoplc \xho catnc tip to ux in thc xtt‘cct lound out that \w had ottcc donc lixc xtul‘l‘. thc_\ got \cr} c\citcd ahottt ttx doing it again. \Vc \xcrc appcaring in lidinhurgh at thc xatnc tintc ax .\latt l.ucax attd l)a\id \Valliantx [LIN/c Britain] and “C thought we \xcrc juxt ax good ax lltoxc gu_\x. xo uh} not'.’ lt‘x a total”) dil'lcrcnt \ihc plinittg li\c. l.axt night. xontconc thrc\\ lotx ol knickcrx onxtagc. .-\gain. not at inc. htit l \\ot‘c thcin during a \xholc hit ol‘ thc xlto\\. \Vhat \xc'rc doing ixn‘t c\actl_\ Shakcxpcarc. lt'x not too rigid. lt'x pcoplc in \xigx doing xtupid \otcc‘x.
Ah, wigs. Hair plays a big part in the Boosh. Rich Fulcher (Bob Fossil in the TV show) once said that he was a hair actor; that as soon as he got the hair right, the rest just followed.
NF: llc'x got hig .»\nict‘ican hair. \\'ith Rich. it the hair’x not hig hc can‘t pull it off. \Vc oncc gaw him a pcrtn htit it \\ ax all wrong. .\ladc hix charactcr go ol‘t~ in a \xholc no“ dircction. .lttxt .xho\\x _\ou that a xiinplc pcrin cart changc the “odd.
Too right. What do you put in your bamet? NF: \Va\. tnouxxc and lt;tlt'.xpt‘;t_\ ntiwd togcthcr. .-\nd then I talk to it and xtitnulatc it \ocall}: thcrc arc a lot ol' rcl'crcnccx in thcrc.
Series one was set in a zoo. Series two isn’t though, is it?
JB: We thought thc /oo \\ ax an intc‘erting \\ot'ld hut \xc \xantcd to go on a xc‘ricx ol‘ adwnturcx itt
‘THE BOOSH IS A CARDIGAN EAS, A BALL REAMS'
THE MIGHTY BOOSH
thc xccond xcrtcx. lt \xaxn't that \\c ncccxxat‘th \xantcd to xct thc xhou tn a No lll thc lirxt placc; \xc iuxt had a lot ot' xtutt ahout antntalx and that xctttng \xould gnc ux a hicrarch} and a l‘\\\\. “c llllllk lll.tl pcoplc lll\l lll\Ctl lllk‘ \ll‘k' Ul lllc‘ \llt\\\ tathct than \xhcrc ll \xax xct.
You’ve known each other for a decade now. What do you like about each other and what gets right on your bloody wicks?
NF: .lulian'x got xtrnk} tcct. 'l‘hc} 'rc axx tul; xtncll ltkc xonic kind ot' dcad anitnal. llc could he a tntlc ana} hut l'd knoxx it hc'x takcn hix xhocx ott. You ot'tcn hcar pcoplc xa_\. 'llax xontconc hrought a cot‘pxc in hct‘c." But I hkc htx grin. llc hax a lupinc tacc; lookx likc a will. lront thc xidc. 'l'hat'x \xhat attractcd inc to him in thc tirxt placc. llc'x a \xollixh titan
JB: .\ocl'x a \xalktng hatrxt_\lc. txn't hc',’ 'l'hat'x a good thing. I xuppoxc. But hc can't drnc. .‘\nd hc can‘t rcad tnapx. So \xhcn \\ c xtartcd ottt I had to drnc hitn around and hc couldn't run igatc xo hc \xax itth thix hig hairxt} lc in thc lront xcat. \xhich \xax not much ttxc to tnc. 'l'hat'x thc \\ot‘xl I could xa_\.
Rich Fulcher and Matt Berry, another guy from the TV show, are collaborating on their own little small screen venture. Will you be appearing in Snuff Box?
NF: \o.
JB: No.
Oh.
NF: 'l'hat'x thc thankx _\ou gct lront thcxc littlc upxtartx. .\latt licrr} did hix lirxt c\cr gig iit our cluh and \xc paid tor Rich l‘ulchct”x airlarc \xhcn \\ c did ottr radio xhou; attd that \\;tx thc cntirc hudgct. .'\nd nou hc gctx hix o\\ n xho\\ and “hat do \\c gct'.’ .\'ot cwn a phonc call. 'l'hc} don't rctncnthcr \\ ho got thcrn thcrc. ()n thc \\a_\ doxx it though. thc} 'll hc looking tor ux.
JB: \Vc did go to a xcrccning thc othcr night and it \\;tx a right laugh. lt‘x an unuxual xhou. a hit pcculiar.
You’re a double act. What other double acts do you like?
NF: l llkL‘ Holt llttpc Ltttd lllttg (lilxl‘). .\lick .laggcr aitd Kc'itli Richardx. Ronnic Wood and Rod Stcuart. Rod Hull and liniu. 'l'hc Krankicx. .llt'tum' lit 1'. 'l'hat lihn thc_\ 'rc making ix going to hc ruhhixh. ('olin l";it't'cl| ax l)on .lohnxon'.’ I don't think xo.
If you had to describe the Mighty Boosh ethos to someone who had never seen the TV show or seen you live, how would you sum it up?
NF: ’l'hc llooxh ix a cardigan ol~ idcax: a magical l'unk. Soinconc dcxcrihcd it ax |.c\\ix ('arroll incctx Marc Bolan. uhich ix good in a \ta}. lt'x likc thc \xorld itxcll'; it can hc an}thing and nothing. ()r a l'unk} hall ol drcatnx. \thncxcr l tcll pcoplc \khat it ix. thc) look appallcd. I go. 'lt‘x got xotnc rapping and crooning in it; thct'c'x a xtor} and it'x got a gorilla and a xhainan. I'm into glain rock in a ('ocknc'} nail kind ol \ia) . . ' and h_\ thc tinic _\ou inc-ntion lit/l. thc'x‘w gla/cd o\c-r. .>\ctuall_\. it'x a lot likc hirth. You don't come out ot' thc “with and think it'x hcautil'ul hcrc: )ou haw to get tixcd to it. )ou haw to lcarn thc languagc and thc colourx. lt'x likc cntcring thc mind ol a \\;txp.
JB: lt'x Sinhad \\ ith hcatx.
Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 4 & Sun 5 Mar; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 24 & Sat 25 Mar. The Mighty Boosh is on 8802, Mon, 11.20pm; Snuff Box is on BBCS, Mon, 11pm. See page 93 for Snuff Box review.
’.‘a' .r '3 THE LIST 17